I have had the best two days. Honestly, I’m pretty gush-y right now.

This Monday and Tuesday were the first two days of the free 20 minute massage / bodywork consultations I first offered about a month back.

The massage therapists, reflexologists, estheticians and reiki practitioners I talked to have tons of talent and a lot to offer.  All we did was brainstorm ways enhance their existing tools and strategies to help increase their visibility and their bottom line.

“Free Massage Marketing Consultations: Eileen has a hoot!” continues »

I got a really good question on the Ask Eileen page today. Brenda is a new therapist and needs your input. She’s moving to a new town and gets to decide between two opportunites.

Here’s what Brenda has to say:

I have been a massage therapist in KY for about 8 months and have a good job at a Day Spa here. I am moving to another city and just went to 2 interviews at the different Aveda salon and spas. My questions follow:

1. It’s a smaller business which is established in their hair and nail offered me the better commission. The only con at this place is that they have never had massage therapist before so they are planning to put a massage room at the basement in a small corner and no warranty how many massages I would get per week. They said tipping is usually good but no hourly pay.

“Chosing Where to Work in a New Town: Brenda asks Eileen” continues »

Writing copy for a promotional postcard is an art. But it’s an art like making good chocolate chip cookies is an art: after you follow the directions a couple times, you get comfortable and start to tweak things here and there.

You discover how to adjust the recipe to your tastes and how to make room for the desires of others. If your dad needs walnuts in his batch (blech!) you can make that happen. There are a myriad of chocolate chip cookie variations out there but they are all from the same basic recipe. There is no sense in messing with a proven winner.

Here’s the basic recipe (and proven winner) for a promotional message on a postcard:

“Tips for Copy on Promotional Postcards: “Look to the cookie!”” continues »

Rubber to the Road
As the The Holidays approach (I know, I know, it is way too early for this … except it isn’t, really) I’ve decided to put my money where my mouth is.

With the blessing of My Lady Boss, I am offering you a free, 20 minute brainstorming, brain-picking session.

“Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is: Eileen (and Natural Touch Marketing) follows her own advice” continues »

The Story
We moved a gun safe last weekend. Don’t ask. It’s like a weekend sport out here.

As usual, this odd chore got me thinking about you and how you market your massage practice.

There are several ways to go about moving a 1200 pound box. I am firmly in the Find Someone Else to Do It camp. I really don’t care if it’s a locksmith with forklift and trailer or five college kids with a case of beer. It’s 1200 pounds; here, let me write you a check.

But my husband will not make a decision without exploring all angles of the situation.* Matt got on line and found several innovative ways people have moved gun safes. These range from brute force to golf balls to 2″ PVC pipe.

My Point
This is where I started thinking of you and your massage / bodywork marketing. Just like moving a gun safe, marketing takes planning.

“What Are the Options?: Massage marketing lessons from moving a safe.” continues »

Joel from Bodywork Dynamics in the UK sent in a series of questions to the Ask Eileen page. If you’d like to read Joel’s entire entry, scroll to the bottom of Ask Eileen and see where Joel has been and where he is going.

Folks, Joel is asking for your input, so belly up to the comment box and give the fellow your thoughts.

Defining Your Niche
“So I started [building] my own site (just one of the skills I’ve picked up) and hit my first wall because I would like to do so much; how do I define my niche? I am qualified to teach yoga, martial arts, tai chi and shiatsu.”

“Joel Asks You … and Eileen: A new guy builds a website” continues »

When a potential client visits your site, you have about 5 (five) seconds to tell them what they want to know before they go somewhere else.

In the last couple few entries I’ve focused on the importance of knowing who your ideal clients are and what they truly want.

Of course they want to know how to contact you, where you are located, that you are professional and what your fees are.

Truly the first thing they want to know is how your work is going to better their lives.

Tell them first thing.

You can be very matter-of-fact and say:

“Why You Should Book a Session with Me: Marketing massage on your website” continues »

In my last entry I talked about making a list of what your ideal client is like. My little list read: “wears jeans and t-shirts, hikes, gardens, tries to eat well, demands a good cheeseburger and beer on occasion, shops at the local market, etc, etc.” This was fine until I realized it read like a personals ad.

Cool! Because when you market your practice, you are basically running a personal.

Or, maybe it’s icky. Do I really want to compare marketing your massage practice to a personals ad? I mean … really?

Well, yes. I do.

“MT Seeking Ideal Clients: Courting the massage clients you want” continues »

Currently there are about eight pounds of targeted massage / bodywork marketing example piled on my kitchen counter.

We’ve had a steady stream of house guests over the last several months. When it comes to care and feeding of guests, mine are pretty much free-range until we all come together at dinner. Most of them bring in their own breakfast, lunch and snack staples for their visit and leave the food behind when they go. I spent yesterday afternoon rooting through the kitchen cupboards, hauling out the duplicates, the expired, the stale and the what-is-this. The prevailing overstock was quick-cook oatmeal.

I don’t know if my guests had concerns about their glycemic index or what. But I was struck by how all this oatmeal could be divided into three distinct categories. Which made me think of you.

“Taking Your Cues from the Big Guys: Targeting your massage marketing to the proper clients” continues »

I got a question this week on the Ask Eileen page from a long-time reader/commentor, Fran D.

Fran is an energetic and forward-thinking person. Over the last two years she has been in transition. Surgery slowed her practice down, then she was working hard to find a place where she could run her practice her way. Last I heard from Fran she found a spot close to home and seemed excited about the future.

I bet most of you are, have been, or will be where Fran is right now. Here is her question. If you have any insight for her, please leave a comment.:

“How do you know when to step back?

I feel like I am drowning sometimes with constantly trying to get my weekly book filled. I always manage to average the same amount of appointments per month which cover expenses with little else left.

““I feel like I’m drowning …”: Overwhelmed with marketing your massage practice” continues »